Lunette depicting Nahshon in the Sistine Chapel.

Nahshon (Hebrew: נַחְשׁוֹן‎‎) or Naḥshon ben ʿAmminadabh (נחשון בן עמינדב; "Nahshon son of Aminadav") was, according to the Book of Exodus, the son of Amminadab; descendant in the fifth generation of Judah, brother-in-law of Aaron^[1] and an important figure in the Hebrew's Passage of the Red Sea which according to the Jewish Midrash he initiated by walking in head deep until the sea split. The popular Yiddish saying "to be a Nachshon" means to be an "initiator."

Biblical data[link]

According to Num i. 7, he is at least 20 years old during the census in the Sinai, at the beginning of The Exodus. By the same account of The Exodus then, Nahshon did not survive the forty year sojourn in the wilderness to enter the Promised Land.

Nahshon was appointed by Moses, upon God's command, as prince of the Tribe of Judah, and though his tribe was fourth in the order of the Patriarchs, yet at the dedication of the Tabernacle he was the first to bring his dedicatory offering.^[2] Nahshon was, through Boaz, the ancestor of David.^[3]

Nahshon is also mentioned in the Greek New Testament in the genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth, called the Messiah (Matthew 1:4 and Luke 3:32).

In rabbinical literature[link]

Owing to his direct descent from Judah and to his being the progenitor of so many kings, Nahshon is extolled by the rabbis as a most noble man. Nahshon's sister Elisheba married Aaron,^[4] and this is especially mentioned as a hint that one should take care to select a wife whose brothers are noble.^[5] The Midrash relates that during the Exodus, when the Israelites reached the Red Sea, it did not automatically part. The Israelites stood at the banks of the sea and wailed with despair, but Nahshon entered the waters. Once he was up to his nose in the water, the sea parted. This is the origin of his name "Nahshol" = "stormy sea-waves". It is in virtue of action that he was chosen to be the first to bring the dedicatory offering.^[6] Nahshon was a model prince,^[7] and was called "king".^[8] When the princes of the different tribes were required to bring their offerings, each on a separate day, Moses was embarrassed, not knowing who should be the first; but all Israel pointed at Nahshon, saying, "He sanctified the name of God by springing first into the Red Sea; he is worthy to bring down the Shekhinah; therefore he shall be the first to bring the offering."^[9] The offering brought by Nahshon is pointed out as having been his own and not that of his tribe.^[10] In the account of the offering the words Va'korbano ("and his sacrifice") and Etodim each have a ו, while the same words in the accounts of the other princes' offerings have no ו. This letter, the numerical value of which is six, indicates that Nahshon was the ancestor of six men — David, the Messiah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah — each of whom was distinguished for six praiseworthy qualities.^[11]

See also[link]

• Midrash
• Torah
• Tanakh
• Rabbinic literature
• Operation Nachshon (named after this biblical figure Nachshon ben Aminadav)

References[link]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:  Jewish Encyclopedia. 1901–1906. 

Joshua Joel Rodriguez (born December 18, 1984 in Houston, Texas) is an American professional baseball infielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.

Amateur career[link]

Rodriguez attended Rice University. There, he played college baseball for the Rice Owls baseball team in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. He was named WAC Freshman of the Year in 2004 and the Third Team NCAA Division I All-American third baseman in 2006.

Professional career[link]

Cleveland Indians[link]

Rodriguez was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the second round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. Rodriguez played for the Class AA Akron Aeros of the Eastern League (EL) in 2008, 2009, and the first part of 2010. On May 18, 2010, Rodriguez was promoted to the Class AAA Columbus Clippers of the International League (IL). He hit .293 in 86 games.

Pittsburgh Pirates[link]

In December 2010, the Pirates selected Rodriguez with the first overall pick of the 2010 Rule 5 draft.^[1] Under the rules regarding Rule 5 players, Rodriguez had to stay on the team's major league roster for the entire 2011 season, or be offered back to the Indians.

On March 27, 2011. the Pirates announced that Rodriguez would be on the team's Opening Day roster, after infielder Pedro Ciriaco was optioned to the AAA Indianapolis Indians. Pirates general manager Neal Huntington stated Rodriguez proved during spring training that he is adept enough defensively to hold his own in the big leagues. Huntington also added that "[Rodriguez] is not your typical Rule 5 guy. He's a little better-equipped to handle the major league environment than a typical Rule 5 guy."^[2] The announcement of Rodriguez being named to the Pirates Opening Day roster came moments after he and Ciriaco helped the team defeat the Tampa Bay Rays in a spring training game by scoring on a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Pirates a 5-4 victory.^[3] He was designated for assignment on April 22 to make room for Brandon Wood on the roster.^[4] The Cleveland Indians reacquired him on April 29 and assigned him to AAA Columbus.^[5] However, he was traded back to Pittsburgh on June 21 for cash considerations.^[6] In the Pirates minor league system, he played for the Indianapolis Indians of the IL and the Altoona Curve of the EL. In the 2011 season he played for Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Altoona, and Columbus.

New York Mets[link]

On March 29, 2012, Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. Rodriguez began the year with the Binghamton Mets of the EL.^[7] He was named EL Player of the Week on April 23.^[8]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• MiLB.com player profile